Broncs And Babes At The Daddy Of 'Em All

Everyone loves to watch a good bucking horse. Their athleticism, footwork, and wild hair make for a beautiful scene while they are dramatically working. Well, at Cheyenne Frontier Days this year those great bucking horses got paired with riders just like them, in the Ladies Ranch Bronc Riding. Lake Stevens-Ram was crowned the champion of the Ladies Ranch Bronc Riding.

Lake has been ridding ranch broncs for just over a year. She got her start riding broncs due to a friend who thought she had what it took. “She had invited me to a few rodeos. It was a rough start for sure but a little practice and lots of advice from anyone and everyone really helped,” said Stevens.

She competes mainly in Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota with a few qualifiers in the surrounding states. Her first big win was at the Black Hills Round-Up in Belle Fourche, South Dakota in July. However, Cheyenne was the goal from the start. “I knew since last season that I wanted to ride in Cheyenne but I had to qualify first,” said Stevens, and she did just that. Stevens was second in June at the Elizabeth Stampede Community Rodeo.

“My goal entering Cheyenne was not to focus on the nerves of being at such a historical event but to enjoy it. Of course, I wanted to win, but I mainly wanted to ride the best I could and be there to support the girls who hadn’t gotten on as many Broncs,” said Stevens. And so she did. Lake Stevens won the event with a composite score of 151.0.

But if riding broncs and being a babe isn’t enough of a twist for you, Stevens is also originally from Hawaii. “I was born on the Gig Island of Hawaii, in a little area under the volcano called Mountain View,” said Stevens.

Her whole family gathered to watch with excitement as she took the title and cash in Cheyenne. “My sister always calls before and after rodeos to wish me luck and see how it went. And the rest of my family always makes sure that I know I have their support.”

While Lake says that her mother was not the biggest fan of her ridding ranch broncs, she attributes her grit and strong work ethic to her mother. “Rodeos are harder to enjoy now that I can’t hear her saying 'Good luck my baby,' but I know she’s always with me in spirit and I know she’d be proud of how far I’ve come since my first bronc. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mom,” said Stevens.

After winning Cheyenne she didn’t slow down one bit. “The Indian National Finals Rodeo” series is currently going on in the Badlands of North Dakota. The winner of that series will be invited to compete in Canada on team USA. Stevens says it is her goal to represent the nation on that team one day.

Paris M Starn is a coffee drinking, cow horse lovin’ gal that is based out of Amarillo, TX. She grew up in Honolulu, HI showing cutters and cow horses. From there, she went on to study at the University of Wyoming. Now, she spends her time riding reined cow horses all over the nation.

Click here to follow along with Paris on the road!